Mimi Pickering. 1988. 3/4" U-matic.

For decades Sarah Ogan Gunning wrote and performed hauntingly beautiful ballads about the lives of the working people. Born in the Eastern Kentucky coalfields in 1910, Gunning lived through the organizing drives, coal mine strikes, and bitter poverty of the 1920s and '30s. This program intercuts rare documentary film clips and photographs of early mining life with Sarah's most affecting songs, including when she sings: "I hate the capitalist system / I'll tell you the reason why / They cause me so much suffering / And my dearest friends to die."

“In a society that can honor Loretta Lynn or Emmylou Harris, but not Sarah Ogan Gunning, clearly something is wrong. We haven’t been able to deal with our roots [or] our giants.”— Labor historian Archie Green

“A fine and moving testament to a hard life and a slice of history coal interests would probably rather forget. It is a reminder of the realities of class, the sort of footnote whole new books come from, full of real details and real people.”
— Now and Then Magazine" “Recounting the life of one of the greatest Appalachian folk singers of modern times ... it is a poignant, touching and memorable look and is certainly recommended viewing.”— Southern Folk Quarterly

All films in the Appalshop collection are protected under Title 17 of the United States Copyright Law. The unauthorized distribution or public performance of copyrighted works constitutes copyright infringement under the Copyright Act, Title 17 U.S Code Section 106(3)-(4). This conduct may also violate the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and The Universal Copyright Convention, as well as bilateral treaties with other countries that allow for protection of Rights Holder copyrighted works even beyond US borders. To receive rights for public performance of our works, including educational or institutional licensing, please contact Appalshop Sales to complete the purchase at 606-633-0108 or [email protected].

You can learn more about Appalshop and our work at www.Appalshop.org